Vivante GC4000 is The Best Mobile GPU… When It Comes to Accuracy

Most of the time, mobile GPU comparisons involve benchmarks such as Antutu, Nenamark 2, etc…, or people may consider which games will be able to run smoothly with a particular device, but we seldom compare image quality, for the simple reason it’s usually more difficult to achieve. YOUi Labs has just done that, however, by running the shader code below on several hardware platforms, mainly Android tablets, with the most common mobile GPUs, and used the results obtained with a  Desktop PC GPU, Nvidia Geforce GT 630M, has a reference.

Here are the results: The worst GPUs are Mali-400 MP4 in Exynos 4412 and Geforce ULP in Tegra 3, which can respectively only show 5 and 8 lines before degradation, and the top two GPUs are Qualcomm Adreno 225 in MSM8660A, and Vivante GC4000 in HiSilicon K3V2 processor. Imagination Technologies SGX544 and ARM Mali-T604 also provide decent results, but […]

Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2 Android TV Box Review

Matricom sent me one of their latest G-Box Midnight MX2 media player based on AMLogic AML8726-M6, with 1GB RAM, 8 GB flash, running Android 4.2, and with full support for XBMC. This is an update of the G-Box Midnight based on AML8726-M3 which supports XBMC in Android, as well as XBMC Linux thanks to community builds. Specifications: SoC – Amlogic AML8726-MX Dual Core Cortex A9 CPU + dual core Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB Flash + SD card slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI v1.4, composite (CVBS) and component (YUV) Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and SPDIF Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n internal Wifi + 10/100 Ethernet Port USB – 4x USB 2.0 Ports (1 might be OTG) IR sensor Power Supply – 5V/2A The hardware and software is very similar to Tronsmart Prometheus (See review), as both are based on AML8726-MX, run Android […]

Mediatek Announces MTK6572 Dual Core Cortex A7 SoC For Entry-Level Smartphones

MediaTek has recently announced the MT6572, a  dual-core SoC with integrated Wi-Fi, FM, GPS and Bluetooth functions targeted at the entry segment. This SoC, manufactured using 28nm process technology, comes with a dual core cortex A7 processor @ 1.2GHz combined with a Mali-400 GPU and a multi-mode Rel. 8 HSPA+/TD-SCDMA modem. Other characteristics include support for up to HD 720p video playback and recording, 5MP camera, and up to qHD (960×540) displays. One of the first smartphones based on the platform will be Sunspan D28X and D26X with 4.5″ display, 5MP camera, and running Android 4.2 version of the system. Both devices will come with 1600 mAh battery., and both will cater for the Chinese market with D28X supporting TD-SCDMA (China Mobile), and D26X W-CDMA (Unicom). MediaTek claims MT6572 can be expected in hundreds of commercial models which will sell in June and beyond. MT6582, the quad core version, is […]

VIA Unveils VAB-600 Pico-ITX Board Powered by WM8950 Processor

VIA Technologies has recently announced the VAB-600 Pico-ITX embedded board featuring WonderMedia WM8950 ARM Cortex A9 SoC clocked at 800MHz. VIA targets in-vehicle infotainment as well as mobile and healthcare applications for the board despite an operating temperature range between 0°C and 60°C. Here are the key features of this embedded board: SoC – Wondermedia WM8950 Cortex-A9 @ 800MHz  + Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 SDRAM Storage – 4GB eMMC Flash memory + 512KB SPI Flash for Boot Loader + microSD slot Video Output – Mini HDMI, on-board DVO (Digital Video Output) for TTL or LVDS display Video Codecs – MPEG2 MP@HL, MPEG4, H.264 BP/MP/[email protected], VC-1 SP/MP/AP, VP8 and JPEG/MJPEG. USB –  2x mini USB 2.0 host ports Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet (VT6113), 3G (SIM card slot) and optional WiFi support (VIA VNT9271B6050 WiFi module shared with one USB port) On-board Connectors: 2x COM connectors 1x RTC battery […]

Promate LumiTab Android Tablet Features a DLP Pico-Projector

Back in 2011 & 2012, we saw some Android products with a pico-projector, including a lightbulb running Android, but pico-projectors never really seemed to be embedded into consumers products. Promate, however, decided to add one of those to one of their Android tablets. Promate Lumitab would just be a typical Android 4.2 tablet with a 7″ touchscreen, a dual core processor (OMAP4460), 1GB RAM, 16GB flash, if it did not also come with a DLP pico-projector capable of outputting an image up to 100″ (254 cm). Promate Lumitab Specifications: SoC – TI OMAP4460 Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 @ 1.5GHz + PowerVR SGX540 GPU System Memory – 1GB LPDDRII RAM Storage – 16GB flash, and a microSD slot Display – 7-inch IPS display (1024×600) Video Output mini HDMI Pico-projector DLP technology 854×480 (WVGA) resolution. 35 Lumens, Projection size of more than 100 inches, and projection ratioof 1.5 Audio I/O – 3.5mm stereo […]

iben Gamepad Android Game Consoles Powered by AllWinner SoCs

Earlier this month, AllWinner exhibited many devices from their customers at the Hong Kong Fair, including an Android game console called iben GamePad. There are now more details about this gaming device, one of them being there are three models: Game Pad L1-B – Based on AllWinner A20 – $110 per unit for 500 pieces order. Available in May. Game Pad L1-C – Based on AllWinner A31 – $150 per unit for 500 pieces order. Available in May. Transformer Game Pad  L2 – Same as L1-C except the actual gamepad is detachable, so you can just use it as a normal tablet when you don’t play. Available in June. Game Pad L1-C / L2 Specifications: SoC – AllWinner A31 Quad-Core ARM Cortex A7 CPU + PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB flash + microSD slot Display – 7″ touch screen (5pts), IPS display. Resolution: 1280×800 […]

TP-Link TPmini “Android-on-TV” Box Features 2MP Webcam

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve started to see more and more Android media player with a camera that can be apposed on top of your TV such as the Archos TV Connect. Let’s call them “Android-on-TV” boxes / media players. Several Chinese manufacturers are also selling this type of device, but none of them have brand recognition in the West. TP-Link, however, is relatively well known for its cheap routers, and the company has introduced the TPmini powered by a dual core processor with 1GB RAM, 4GB flash, and a 2.0MP camera. Here are the specs of the device: SoC – Dual core ARM Cortex-A9 processor @ 1.6 GHz + Quad core ARM Mali 400 GPU (They did not say, but it looks like Rockchip RK3066 to me) System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 4GB NAND Flash + microSD slot (Up to 32GB) Video Output – HDMI […]

Collaborative Comparison Table for HDMI TV Dongles

With so many HDMI TV dongles available on the market, wouldn’t it be nice if we could have a database to compare them all? The only issue is that it’s a lot of work to setup and maintain, so it’s unlikely one person is ready to spend his/her time entering such a lot of data. To work around this issue, and use the power of the crowd, Ian Morrison posted a link on Google+ mini PCs community to a “USB-dongle computers comparison table” powered by socialcompare.com where anybody can add or edit entries with the detailed specifications for each device I’ve given it a try and added GK802 / Hi802 mini PC. You’ll need to sign-in to Social compare, or simply use Facebook for login. You can then click on “+” icon, then enter the name of the device, and click on “Create an Item”, and a new column should […]